Telephony services for programmable multimedia controller

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a programmable multimedia controller controls electronic devices, including display devices. A remote control communicates with the programmable multimedia controller. An on screen display is displayed on a selected one of the display devices. The on screen display enables the selected one of the display devices to function as a virtual telephone that is user-operable to initiate outgoing telephone calls and to answer incoming telephone calls. When an outgoing telephone call or incoming telephone call is in progress, the on screen display shows text or graphics related to the outgoing telephone call or the incoming telephone call. The on screen display is overlaid on another video signal which is already being displayed on the selected one of the display devices.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/519,981 entitled “Telephony Services for a Programmable MultimediaController”, filed on Sep. 12, 2006, which is hereby incorporated byreference in is entirety.

This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/314,664, entitled “System and Method for a Programmable MultimediaController”, filed Dec. 20, 2005, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/314,112, entitled “Programmable Multimedia Controller WithProgrammable Services”, filed Dec. 20, 2005, both of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the fields of multimedia andcommunications and, more specifically, to a programmable multimediacontroller for home, commercial, professional audio or video, broadcastor film studio, security, automation or other use which is capable ofinterfacing with, controlling and managing a wide variety of audio,video, telecommunications, data communications and other devices.

2. Background Information

Many advanced telephony services developed within the past 25 years orso, including two-party video calls, videoconferencing and voicemail,originally required customers to acquire special equipment (e.g., avideoconferencing system, a voicemail system attached to a PBX, etc.)and the requisite network bandwidth to support the services. In the caseof voicemail, telecommunications carriers eventually began to offer thatservice to residential and wireless subscribers by provisioning theircentral offices with large systems that could support tens of thousandsof subscribers. Telecommunications carriers, prepaid calling cardcompanies and others profited by deploying voicemail services becausesubscribers tend to make many additional calls and incur substantialminutes of use in connection with voicemail. Text messaging also emergedas a profitable offering which could be easily deployed by wirelesscarriers and, accordingly, became widely available.

However, video calls and videoconferencing have not received similartreatment in the marketplace. A major reason for this difference is thatvideo calls and videoconferencing have historically required special,often expensive, equipment on the premises of each subscriber. That is,each subscriber must have a video camera, a microphone, a display, sometype of controller and appropriate bandwidth to the public switchedtelephone network (PSTN). Due to the unwillingness of most non-businesssubscribers to pay the significant costs associated with the necessaryequipment, especially in light of expected limited use, video callingand videoconferencing did not historically achieve the broad-basedadoption and usage of voicemail.

More recently, some companies have introduced internet-based serviceswhich allow persons to make video calls or hold videoconferences usingthe Internet as opposed to the PSTN. The iChat® service offered by AppleComputer, Inc. and Instant Messenger with video by AOL are two examplesof such a service. While those services generally perform well, they dorequire a subscriber to have certain computer hardware and software, aswell as experience using a computer, in order to function. Moreimportantly, those services are typically based on a particulartechnology claimed as proprietary by a vendor and not on an openindustry standard. The absence of open standards creates barriers ofincompatibility between competing vendors' offerings, which tends tolimit adoption and usage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In brief summary, the present invention provides a multimedia controllerwhich may be programmed to provide advanced, diverse telephony servicesincluding video phone calls, audio and videoconferencing, voicemail,answering machine and text messaging functions among others. The presentinvention offers user interfaces which mimic the functions and featuresof conventional telephone handsets, answering machines or other familiardevices, thus enabling users to operate and enjoy advanced telephonyservices by relying primarily on knowledge that they already have aboutstandard household appliances and components. More specifically, usingthe present invention, a user who knows how to use a television and aconventional telephone handset or simple remote control may place orreceive conference calls, video calls or video conferences. In thisfashion, the present invention enables users to largely avoidcomplicated configuration or setup procedures as well having to learnarcane commands.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, atouchscreen which is interfaced with the multimedia controller may beused as a virtual telephone, intercom or other communication or controldevice. By displaying a simulated telephone keypad, intercom controls orother appropriate controls on the touchscreen, a user may access bothbasic and advanced features and functions in a way that is intuitive andfamiliar.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, otherdevices including MP3 players or simple electromechanical remotecontrols may be interfaced with the multimedia controller and used tocontrol various telephony or other services.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, desiredtelephony services may be readily programmed or customized through agraphical programming environment supported by a general purposecomputer which forms a portion of the multimedia controller or standingalone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention description below refers to the accompanying drawings, ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is block diagram of a programmable multimedia controller,interconnected to a number of devices, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the high-level hardwarearchitecture of the multimedia controller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a touchscreen configured as a virtual telephone with akeypad and controls displayed;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the major steps of processing an outgoingtelephone call using the multimedia controller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the major steps of processing an incomingtelephone call using the multimedia controller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a touchscreen display configured as a virtual telephonewith a video call in progress;

FIG. 7 show a television screen configured to operate in conjunctionwith the multimedia controller as a virtual telephone which a usercontrols with a simple remote control; and

FIG. 8 shows a television screen configured to operate in conjunctionwith the multimedia controller as a virtual telephone which a usercontrols with a conventional telephone handset.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a programmable multimedia controller 100,interconnected to a number of devices, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention. The term “programmable multimediacontroller” should be interpreted broadly as a device capable ofcontrolling, switching data between, and/or interoperating with avariety of electronic devices, such as audio, video, telephony, data,security, motor-driven, relay-driven, and/or other types of electronicdevices. By interacting with these devices the programmable multimediacontroller may implement an integrated multimedia control solution.

In the illustrative embodiment, the programmable multimedia controller100 is connected to a wide range of audio/video components, for example,a compact disk (CD) player 105, a digital versatile disc (DVD) player110, an audio/video receiver 115, a television 120, a personal mediaplayer 125, speakers 122, a microphone 123, and/or a video camera 124.The programmable multimedia controller may also be connected totelephony devices such as a telephone network 130 and telephone handsets132. The telephone network 130 may be a publicly switched telephonenetwork (PSTN), an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or othercommunications network.

In addition, the programmable multimedia controller may intercommunicatewith variety of light and/or home automation systems 135. These devicesmay operate via the X10 protocol developed by Pico Electronics, theINSTEON™ protocol developed by SmartHome, Inc, the CEBus standardmanaged by the CEBus Industry Council, or another well known homeautomation or control protocol. Similarly the controller may beconnected to motor and/or relay operated devices 137 that may include,for example, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC)system, an irrigation system, an automatic shade or blind system, anelectronic door lock, or other types of devices.

A computer network, such as the Internet 140, is connected to themultimedia controller. In addition, a personal computer (PC) 145, videogame systems 150, home recording equipment 165 or other devices may alsobe connected. Further, one or more remote control units 170 may beprovided to manage the controller's functionality, and/or to controldevices connected to the controller. Such remote control units may beinter-connected to the controller via a wired network connection, aninfra-red link, a radio-frequency link, a Bluetooth™ link, a ZigBee™link or another appropriate data connection. Examples of such remotecontrol units include a touchscreen remote control 112, a simple remotecontrol 114, which may be electromechanical, and an MP3 player or otherdevice 116.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a high-level hardwarearchitecture of the programmable multimedia controller. The variouscomponents shown may be arranged on a “motherboard” of the controller,or on a plurality of cards interconnected by a backplane (not shown). Amicrocontroller 210 manages the general operation of the system. In theillustrative embodiment, the microcontroller is a 32-bit model MCF5234microcontroller available from Freescale Semiconductor Inc. As analternative, a general purpose computer may be used instead ofmicrocontroller 210. The microcontroller 210 is coupled to an audioswitch 215 and a video switch 220 via a bus 218. The audio switch 215and the video switch 220 are preferably crosspoint switches capable ofswitching a number of connections simultaneously. However many othertypes of switches capable of switching digital signals could beemployed, for example Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) switches.

A mid plane 235 interconnects the switches and other devices to avariety of input and output modules such as, for example, Digital VideoInput Modules with HDMI 600, Video Output Modules with HDMI 1000,Digital Audio Input Modules 400, and Digital Audio Output Modules 900.The mid plane 235 is further coupled to an Ethernet switch 230 thatpermits switching of 10 BaseT, 100 BaseT or Gigabyte Ethernet signals.The Ethernet switch 230 interconnects Ethernet ports 232 and aprocessing subsystem 240 to the microcontroller 210. In one embodiment,the processing subsystem 240 includes a plurality of small form factorgeneral purpose personal computers that provide redundant operationand/or load balancing. In some embodiments, the processing subsystem 240may include one or more storage devices, external to the personalcomputers, to provide expanded storage capacity, for example, to storedigital media.

Also, a number of Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports 242 areinterconnected to a USB hub 243 for interconnection to the processingsubsystem 240. A memory card interface 225 may also be connected to theUSB hub 243. The interface accepts one or more well known memory cardformats, for example CompactFlash™ cards, Memory Stick™ cards, SecureDigital™ (SD) cards, or other formats. A USB switch 244 is employed toswitch USB links among the multiple processing components that may bepresent. In a similar manner, a number of IEEE 1394 (FireWire™) ports246 are interconnected to an IEEE 1394 hub 247 and to an IEEE 1394switch 248.

The microcontroller 210 is further connected to a Serial PeripheralInterface (SPI) and Inter-Integrated Circuit (1 ²C) distribution circuit250, which provides a serial communication interface to relatively lowdata transfer rate devices. The SPI/I²C controller 250 is connected tothe mid-plane connector 235 and thereby provides control commands fromthe microcontroller 210 to the modules and other devices in theprogrammable multimedia controller 100. Further connections from SPI/I²Ccontroller 250 are provided to devices such as a fan controller 251, atemperature sensor 252 and a power manager circuit 253, which manage thethermal characteristics of the system and prevent overheating.

The microcontroller 210 is also connected to Infra-Red (IR) interface260, an RS232 interface 265, and an RF interface 267, that permitinterconnection with external devices. Such interaction permitsprogrammable multimedia controller 100 to control external devices. Inaddition the interfaces may receive control signals that control theoperation of the programmable multimedia controller itself. It isexpressly contemplated that various other interfaces, including WI-FI,Bluetooth™, ZigBee™ and other wired and wireless interfaces, may be usedwith the multimedia controller 100.

In addition, an Auxiliary Audio/Video Port 700 is provided forinterconnecting one or more video game systems, camcorders, computers,karaoke machines or other devices. A telephone interface 270 is providedfor connecting to the PSTN or a private network, and to telephonehandsets. Telephone interface 270 preferably includes FXS and FXO portssuch that programmable multimedia controller 100 may directly connectwith connect with telephone network 130 and conventional 2500 handsets,thereby effectively providing plain old telephone service (POTS) as wellas acting as a private branch exchange (PBX).

Further, a device control interface 275 is provided to communicate withlighting, home automation, and motor and/or relay operated devices. Asdiscussed in more detail below, an expansion port 280 is provided forlinking several programmable multimedia controllers together to form anexpanded system. Finally, a front panel display 1150 permitspresentation of status, configuration, and/or other information to auser. In one embodiment the from panel can display video dataoriginating from any input source connected to the system, such that onemay preview video content on the display. In another embodiment thefront panel display 1150 includes a touchscreen, and a user may entercontrol selections by selecting icons on the screen.

FIG. 3 shows a touchscreen 302 configured as a virtual telephone. Itshould be understood, however, that the services described below may befully realized regardless of whether a touchscreen 302 is used as avirtual phone, a conventional handset is used with POTS, a television isused with a remote control, or a cell phone is used with commerciallyavailable equipment to capture dialed digits.

A keypad 304, whose keys are preferably arranged in the same manner asthose of a conventional telephone handset, is displayed on thetouchscreen and is responsive to a user's touch. A dialed number display306 provides visual feedback to the user of digits as they are enteredfrom keypad 304. A mute button 308 permits a user to switch between talkand mute modes. A redial button 310 permits a user to redial the lastnumber dialed.

A talk button 312 permits a user to initiate an outgoing call to thetelephone number which appears in display 306. A flash button 314permits a user to perform a hook flash. An end button 316 permits a userto end a call. Display 318 represent a user interface to a smartphonebook incorporated within programmable multimedia controller 100. Auser may scan a personal phonebook for contacts or may enter digits of aphone number using keypad 304. As digits are entered, display 318 isupdated with potential matches. Once the correct entry appears indisplay 318, the user may simply press that entry to initiate the call.

A home button 320 permits a user to return to a home screen within theuser interface hierarchy of touchscreen 302. A back button 322 permits auser to return to a previously displayed screen within the userinterface hierarchy. A button 324 permits a user to change the skin orappearance of the background and buttons. Such changes may also occurautomatically based on remote control enabled location-awareness anduser profiles as discussed above. A status icon 326 provides a visualindication of the online status for the associated person. For example,if status icon 326 is red in color, it signifies that the associatedperson is not online. Conversely, if the status icon 326 is green, itsignifies that the person is online. Also, because a given person mayhave multiple online “presences”, status icon 326 may be used toindicate whether any of the presences is available.

In general, the software necessary to generate the display ontouchscreen 302 and underlying functionality may be created usingPhotoshop® in conjunction with the programming environment described inthe above-referenced copending application entitled “ProgrammableMultimedia Controller With Programmable Services,” filed Dec. 20, 2005,Ser. No. 11/314,112. Further, remote controls which enablelocation-awareness and user profile awareness allow a range of userexperiences. For example, by knowing, through the user's use of a remotecontrol, in which zone (room) a particular user was located,programmable multimedia controller 100 would know to use the televisionin that room for video calls or other information to be displayed, wouldknow to display at display 318 the phonebook for that user and wouldknow applicable settings or preferences for processing outgoing orincoming calls. FIG. 4 shows the major functional steps which may beperformed when multimedia controller 100 is used to place a telephonecall. At step 402, a user enters digits using a conventional telephonehandset 132 (FIG. 1), a touchscreen 112 or 1150 which is configured as avirtual telephone or another appropriately enabled device. Multimediacontroller 100 or, alternatively, a general purpose computer collectsthe entered digits and, at step 404, performs a lookup of the telephonenumber in a user's phonebook which is stored within controller 100.Based on a profile or settings which the user has previously enteredinto the phonebook for the dialed number, at step 406 the user isprompted (e.g., by appropriate display on touchscreen 112) to select atype of call. Depending upon the user's equipment as well as that of theparty being called, a user may select a voice call (two party), aconference call (three or more parties), a video call (two party), avideo conference (three or more parties), an iChat® call, an AOL InstantMessenger with video, text messaging or other type.

At step 408, in response to the user's selection or, alternatively, inaccordance with a default call type, multimedia controller 100 sets upthe outgoing call. At step 410, as the outgoing call is placed,multimedia controller 100 references previously entered user preferencesor a profile to change its operating state. Examples of possible changesin the operating state are automatically turning down or muting thevolume of any music or other audio which is playing; pausing any CD, DVDor other media which is playing; and displaying the phonebook entry orrelated information for the party who is being called.

FIG. 5 shows the major functional steps which may be performed whenmultimedia controller 100 is used to receive a telephone call. At step502, controller 100 collects digits of an incoming call. At step 504,controller 100 performs a lookup of the calling party's telephone numberwith the phonebook stored within controller 100. At step 506, based onthe results of the lookup or a default, controller 100 announces theincoming call. This announcement may be performed in any of several waysincluding audio (e.g., playing a user-selectable ring tone on a POTStelephone handset if the user prefers it or if no video display isturned on), video (e.g., displaying a user-selectable photo of thecalling party), a banner (e.g., a caller ID, text message or similarnotice is displayed on touchscreen 112 or another display, the choiceand appearance of which may be automatically set based onlocation-awareness and user profiles as discussed above) or apreprogrammed or user-selected combination of the foregoing. Asdescribed in detail in co-ending application Ser. No. 11/314,112,programmable multimedia controller 100 is capable of displaying text orgraphics overlaid on another video signal (e.g., broadcast or cable TVprogram, satellite program, DVD or other signal) which is beingdisplayed on touchscreen 112, television 120 or other display which isinterfaced with controller 100.

At step 508, if the user answers the incoming call, controller 100processes the call according a profile or settings in the phonebook.Thus, the incoming call may be processed using any of the call typesdiscussed above in connection with FIG. 4. Alternatively, at step 510,if there is no answer, the incoming call may be directed to voicemail, avirtual answering machine, forwarded or otherwise processed based on theuser's profile or settings.

FIG. 6 shows a touchscreen 602 configured as a virtual telephone with avideo call in progress. Dialed number display 604 shows the telephonenumber of the current call. A video window 606 displays a video signalwhich is being received from the other party to the call. In the case ofa video conference, touchscreen 602 may be used to display multiplevideo windows simultaneously.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in an alternative embodiment, instead ofusing a touchscreen remote control 112, a user may wish to use atelevision 120 as the display for a virtual telephone which functions inthe manner described above. In the absence of a touchscreen, usercontrol may be provided by either a simple remote control 114 whichcommunicates with multimedia controller 100 by way of IR or RF. Remotecontrol 114 in conjunction with television 120 and an appropriate onscreen display may be used to dial digits when making a call, enter textwithout the need for a keyboard or to perform any other necessaryactions in connection with telephony services. As shown in FIG. 7, atelevision 120 (FIG. 1) has a screen 700 showing a dialed number display702. Instead of a traditional telephone keypad, a circular dialing pad704 is displayed. Display 706 is a user interface to a smart phonebooksimilar to that described above in connection with FIG. 3.

Circular dialing pad 704 is well adapted for use with a wirelessscroll-ring type user remote control. Alternatively, user control mayalso be provided by way of an MP3 player or other device 116 which iscapable of transmitting DTMF tones to programmable multimedia controller100.

In accordance with another alternative embodiment, user control of avirtual telephone may be provided by way of a conventional telephonehandset. As shown in FIG. 8, a television 120 has a screen 800 showing adialed number display 802. A simulated telephone keypad 804 is alsodisplayed on screen 800. Display 806 is a user interface to a smartphonebook similar to that described above in connection with FIG. 3.

The embodiment of FIG. 8 may be advantageously used in connection with atraditional telephone handset 132 (FIG. 1) which is connected toprogrammable multimedia controller 100. For example, when a user liftsthe handset offhook, multimedia controller 100 responsively causesscreen 800 to display keypad 804. If desired, an interactive voiceresponse (IVR) service may be implemented in which user prompts aredelivered by a speech synthesizer and user responses are interpreted bya speech recognizer, both capabilities being available within Mac OS Xas well as from other commercial sources.

As a user enters DTMF digits, they are collected by multimediacontroller 100 and displayed in dialed number display 802. Once a callis setup, regardless of whether it is completed using a traditionaltelephony signaling protocol, voice over IP (VoIP), iChat or video, theuser simply uses handset 132 to speak with the other party. In the caseof video calls or conferences, a video image may be captured by aseparate video camera 124 or, alternatively, by a video camera which isbuilt into television 120. In this fashion, a user may fully use andenjoy a wide range of advanced telephony features and functions providedby multimedia controller 100 without having to learn complex technology,arcane commands or abstract computer concepts.

The foregoing description has been directed to particular embodiments ofthis disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that other variations andmodifications may be made to the described embodiments, with theattainment of some or all of their advantages. Additionally, theprocedures or processes described above may be implemented in hardware,software, embodied as a computer-readable medium having programinstructions, firmware, or a combination thereof. Therefore, it is theobject of the appended claims to cover all such variations andmodifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a programmable multimediacontroller configured to control a plurality of electronic devices, theplurality of electronic devices including a plurality of displaydevices; a remote control configured to communicate with theprogrammable multimedia controller; an on screen display configured tobe displayed on a selected one of the plurality of display devices, theon screen display to enable the selected one of the plurality of displaydevices to function as part of a virtual telephone that is user-operableto initiate out-going telephone calls and to answer incoming telephonecalls, and when an outgoing telephone call or incoming telephone call isin progress to show text or graphics related to the outgoing telephonecall or the incoming telephone call, wherein the programmable multimediacontroller is configured to cause the on screen display to be overlaidon another video signal which is already being displayed on the selectedone of the plurality of display devices.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the another video signal is a broadcast, cable or satellitetelevision (TV) program.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remotecontrol has location awareness that enables the programmable multimediacontroller to determine a zone in which the remote control is located,and wherein the selected one of the plurality of display devices onwhich the on screen display is shown is selected based on the zone inwhich the remote control is located.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein the selected one of the plurality of display devices is atelevision within in the zone in which the remote control is located. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote control is anelectromechanical remote control that communicates with the programmablemultimedia controller using, at least in part, infra red (IR) or radiofrequency (RF) communication and is separate from the selected one ofthe plurality of display devices, and the programmable multimediacontroller is configured to cause the on screen display to be responsiveto input entered on the electromechanical remote control.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote control is a touch screenremote control, the selected one of the plurality of display devices isa touch screen of the touch screen remote control, and the programmablemultimedia controller is configured to cause the on screen display to beresponsive to input entered on the touch screen.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the remote control is a plain old telephone service(POTS) telephone handset separate from the selected one of the pluralityof display devices, and the programmable multimedia controller isconfigured to cause the on screen display to be responsive to inputentered on the POTS telephone handset.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the outgoing telephone call or the incoming telephone call is anincoming telephone call, and the text or graphics include anannouncement announcing the incoming telephone call.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the outgoing telephone call or the incoming telephonecall is an incoming telephone call that has a call type of voice, voiceconference, video, or video conference, and wherein the call type isbased at least in part on a called party.
 10. A method comprising: usinga programmable multimedia controller to control a plurality ofelectronic devices, the plurality of electronic devices including aplurality of display devices; determining a zone in which a remotecontrol associated with the programmable multimedia controller islocated; generating an on screen display, the on screen display capableof being displayed on any of the plurality of display devices, the onscreen display to enable a display device to function as part of avirtual telephone that is user-operable to initiate outgoing telephonecalls and to answer incoming telephone calls, and when an outgoingtelephone call or incoming telephone call is in progress to show text orgraphics related to the outgoing telephone call or the incomingtelephone call; and causing, by the programmable multimedia controller,the on screen display to be displayed on a selected one of the pluralityof video display devices, wherein the selected one of the plurality ofdisplay devices is selected based on a zone in which the remote controlis located.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the selected one of theplurality of video display devices is a television located within thezone in which the remote control is located.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein the remote control is an electromechanical remote controlseparate from the selected one of the plurality of video displaydevices, and the on screen display is responsive to input entered on theelectromechanical remote control.
 13. The method of claim 10, whereinthe remote control is a plain old telephone service (POTS) telephonehandset separate from the selected one of the plurality of video displaydevices, and the on screen display is responsive to input entered on theelectromechanical remote control.
 14. The method of claim 10, whereinthe causing further comprises: overlaying the on screen display onanother video signal which is already being displayed on the selectedone of the plurality of display devices.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the another video signal is a broadcast, cable or satellitetelevision (TV) program.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein theoutgoing telephone call or the incoming telephone call is an incomingtelephone call, and the text or graphics comprise an announcementrelated to the incoming telephone call.
 17. A method for providingtelephony services comprising: using a programmable multimediacontroller to control a plurality of electronic devices, the pluralityof electronic devices including one or more display devices; providing auser interface that functions as a virtual telephone and that isuser-operable to initiate outgoing telephone calls and to answerincoming telephone calls, an on screen display of the user interfacedisplayed on a selected one of the display devices; in response to auser initiating an outgoing telephone call, comparing a number of acalled party for the outgoing call with one or more previously storednumbers; when the number matches a previously stored number, processingthe outgoing telephone call based upon a profile associated with thematching stored number; and changing one or more operating states of theprogrammable multimedia controller based on the profile associated withthe matching stored number, the operating states of the programmablemultimedia controller to adjust at least one other signal to avoiddisturbance of the call.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the atleast one other signal includes an audio signal and the adjusting ismuting the audio signal.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the userinterface includes a remote control having location awareness thatenables the programmable multimedia controller to determine a zone inwhich the remote control is located, and the method further comprises:selecting the selected one of the display devices in response to thezone in which the remote control is located.
 20. The method of claim 17,further comprising: overlaying the on screen display on another videosignal which is already being displayed on the selected one of theplurality of display devices, wherein the another video signal is abroadcast, cable or satellite television (TV) program